The Three Rise to Power
by Fuma
Summary: Buffy, Xander and Faith come in to their Inheritance.


The Three  
Book One

Rise to Power  
By Fuma

Prologue:

The sun was setting on the small town of Sunnydale bathing the town in a crimson glow. This was the time seemingly peaceful town really come alive and when its true name was heard, The Twilight Empire. It was a place where the mundane and the supernatural could live in balance. As long as the abided by the laws sent down from the Lord regent, or the Mayor as the mundane called him. By all accounts he was doing a good job. In ten short years Sunnydale had gone from one of the most dangerous places to live to one of the safest in the state. And all the while he was slowly expanding his influence through out the state.

Tara's ice blue eyes scanned the surroundings as she made her way to the entrance of Sunnydale middle school. All the schools from Elementary to University now remained open long after any others in the state would have closed. They now catered to all the beings of the empire. Some of them only came out at night, so they were taught then as well as any student who wanted learn more then the average curriculum.

Tara strode purposely towards the school, her every move graceful like that of a predator. Her body was tense for anxiety and the ever-present fear of an attack, even though she knew no one would be stupid enough to attack one of the Guardians. But old habits were hard to break.

Her steel gray hair fanned out around her the evening breeze as she entered the school. As soon as she entered the building she instantly spotted the other two Guardians waiting down the hall.

"What took you so long?" Willow snapped as Tara joined them.

Willow was the slightest built of the three, but she easily made up for it in shear presence. She was deathly pale, which contrasted, harshly with her long blood red hair. That night, as all nights, she wore only black. She was wearing a floor sweeping skirt, with a black leather corset leaving her arm and shoulders bear. A blood red pendent hug from her slender neck by a thin silver chain, it looked like a single drop frozen in mid-flight. And showed the world her station. Her most striking feature by far were her eyes, they were a dark purple trimmed in black.

"Sorry, I was working with the Order when the call came." she replied easily, having long ago lost her stutter. She was dressed in long light brown robes with for jagged red slashes over her heart.

Willow was upset she could feel it even if the women was good at hiding it. Tara instinctively reached out caressed the red head cheek with her slender hand. Willow's eyes were, as always, drawn the intricate tribal tattoos the ran from Tara's finger tips to her shoulders that marked her as High Commander of her sect.

Dawn the last of the three women, could see the her companions were drifting of in to there own little world and knew if she didn't step in now nothing would bring them out of it for hours.

"Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" she said bluntly.

Dawn was the tallest of the three. Her pure white gown went beautifully with her bronzed skin and golden brown hair. Her golden eyes gave off a subtle light all there own. On her forehead rested a simple gold circlet with a flawless diamond in its center. It also declared her place in the empire to the world.

Willow responded, anger and frustration thick in her voice; "Giles is going to tell them about there parents."

"Isn't that a good thing, I mean it's about time they learned about them?"

"There not ready, plane and simple, this could break them." The red head answered harshly."If not now when?" Tara said her voice calm. "There fourteen, in a year in a year Lilith will come in to her inheritance and then in a few years so will Cullen and Trina."

"There not ready. They're to much like their parents and their going to blame them selves for what happened." Willow said her eyes watery with unshed tears for remembered pain, "I just don't want to see them go through the same thing we did.

"Come on we need to get going." Tara said gently as ran hand through Willow's hair. Trying to calm her unease.

A wicked grin graced Dawn's face as she spoke, "Yes time to scare some teachers." She said childishly as she moved down the hall.

Willow and Tara couldn't help but smile as they walked after her.

As they made there way through the halls the other beings stopped what they were doing and watched them pass with rapt attention. The three Guardians over heard there other names whispered as they passed. The Pale Rider, Chimera and Morning Light.

When they entered the classroom every head turn to them and the teacher visibly paled. These three women were true Powers and Dominations with in the empire.

She bowed deeply to them before she spoke. "My Lady's, how may I be of service?" She said fear thick in her voice. The Guardians ignored them.

"Lilith." Willow said and young raven-haired girl rose from her seat.

Tara was the next to speak, "Cullen"

A brunet boy answered, "Coming sister." Forcing Tara to fight down the grin that threatened to show it's self.

"Drama queens." Dawn mumbled under her breath. "Come on Trina we need to go."

"All right." A blond haired girl answered.

When the three women that helped rule the empire, and the three children who would one day inherit it had left the room the teacher breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The children looked every bit like normal human children then, they wouldn't change physically until the came in to there inheritances. And they still acted just like children.

Once out side Lilith was the first to break the silence they had kept up through the halls.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked

"Lilith!" Willow instantly reprimanded her young charges language. The girl in question simply rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing, Giles just wants to talk to you, that's all." Tara stepped in quickly to stop what threatened to be heated argument between the two."Come on big sis you know Giles wouldn't pull us out of lessons for just a chat." Tara couldn't help but smile as Cullen called her that, even if he didn't know of her connection to his father.

"It's not my place to say."

"Please?" Trina asked with her best puppy dog eyes.

"You know that face doesn't work on us Trina." Dawn said.

Trina began to pout, as she spoke, "You guys are no fun."

"Trina's going to cry." Cullen teased.

"Leave her alone." Warned Lilith with steel in her voice.

"Or what?" Responded Cullen smugly.

And thus began another heated shouting match between the three rulers to be, they were after all siblings.

As the Guardians watched there charges argue they couldn't help but think that they were very much like their parents.

Cullen was the tallest of the three, having recently gone through a growth spurt. He constantly wore a lopsided grin and had a mop of unruly brown hair that always fell in his chocolate brown eyes.

Trina was ever bit the California native with her long blond hair and petite build. The only thing that ruined the picture were her piercing green eyes.

Lilith had dark hair that when beautifully with her fair complexion and soulful brown  
eyes.

"Enough!" Willow commanded, as the fight was about to escalate to blows. The children instantly stopped, Willow could be very scary when she wanted to be.

"Come on were running late." She said as started for the waiting limo, the others quickly falling in step behind her.

They could see the glass and steel tower that was City Hall long before they reached it. The looming structure dominated the skyline; of course it being the only skyscraper in Sunnydale it didn't have to work very hard to do that. Those who knew of the empire called simply The Tower. It was the heart of the young empire and housed all the powers in it.

As they pulled in to the under ground garage they could all feel The Towers magical defenses hum over there skin and raise the hairs on the backs of there necks. The Tower had so much magic running through it that it was practically alive, which made thing interesting if you pissed it off and broke a window.

The limo pulled to a stop and the group exited and made there way to the private elevator, which would take them to the top floor.

In side the elevator Dawn spoke, "Who much time do we have Willow?"

"Not much, but I think we have time enough for the children to have a quick visit."

"Are they back?" Lilith asked turning to face Willow.

Willow looked down at her charge with a soft smile on her face. "Yes"

All the children broke in to grins.

As soon as the elevator doors opened Lilith spotted a tall figure in a black cloak down the hall from them and broke into a run."Death!" he yelled at the top of her lungs. The figure quickly turned at the sound of his name. His corps pale face was graced with a broad grin as he spotted the girl running towards him. He knelt down to intercept her.

"Hello my dear." He said softly as he hugged the empress to be.

"Hey Grimm." Said Cullen as he approached the man known as Death.

The man grimaced at the nickname, "My young Cullen wont you ever grow up?" He questioned as he released Lilith and stood up.

"Doubt it." The boy responded, "So were are the others?"

"Right behind you squirt."

Cullen nearly jumped out of his skin when the new comer spoke into his ear. He quickly spun around to face the owner of the voice.

"Christ Fox don't do that, and don't call me squirt."

"Hey I remember when you couldn't sleep with out a light on. You'll always me squirt to me." Fox said with a smirk.

Cullen flushed red with embarrassment, as Lena started to laugh, "Is little Cullen afraid of the dark." She teased.

Before the emperor in waiting could retort they were interrupted by the last of the new arrivals as she exited the door in front of them, "Trina don't make fun of your brother."

"Daystar." She said happily despite the reprimand as she smiled up the woman.

"My Lady." She said with a small for the young girl. She then turned to the three guardians and bowed formerly to them before she spoke, "High Commanders."

"I trust ever thing went well?" Willow asked.

Death was the first to speak, "it was nothing more than a clan of Chaos Demons. They were easily shown their place in the new order of things."

"Please." Fox said as she casually leaned against the wall, "They were hold up so tight in that cave I thought we were going to have to bring it down around their ears. I swear some times I wish Pestilence was still around."

All the adults looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"What?" She asked, "He may have been disgusting but he did have a few uses."  
Daystar quickly changed the subject. " Lord Giles is waiting for you, now hurry up." She said looking down at the children.

"But I want to hear about."

Daystar interrupted the young boy, "No, what Lord Giles has to say is more important, so all three of you hurry up."

The children looked at the other adults for help, but seeing none was forth coming they quietly admitted defeat and filled through the door.

"So," Death spoke as the door closed behind the children. "Lord Giles has decided to tell them finally.

"Yeah" Dawn's voice barley more than a whisper.

Fox looked thoughtfully at the door. "They'll be ok won't they?" She asked fear and sorrow thick in her voice.

Tara put a comforting hand on he friends shoulder. "Let us hope so."

Giles still looked very much the English librarian that had come to Sunnydale all those long years ago. Despite his many changes and minuses the tweed and glasses. He quickly rose as the children entered his study.

"Hello Grandfather." They said in all but unison. The smile on his face threatened to split it clean in half. After a round of hugs they all settled in near the fireplace. Giles in his favorite wing chair and the children on the leather couch across from him.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves he started to speak. "I asked you here tonight to tell you a story. This is the story of three very special people, Xander The Beast King, Faith The Red Queen and Buffy The Lady Of Light. Your parents."


End file.
